familypediawikiaorg-20200214-history
Bemidji, Minnesota
|population_footnotes = |population_total = 13431 |population_density_km2 = 401.4 |population_density_sq_mi = 1039.6 |population_note = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = 16,000 (roughly) |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |timezone = Central |utc_offset = -6 |timezone_DST = Central |utc_offset_DST = -5 |latd = 47 |latm = 28 |lats = 25 |latNS = N |longd = 94 |longm = 52 |longs = 49 |longEW = W |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = 416 |elevation_ft = 1365 |postal_code_type = ZIP code |postal_code = 56601 |area_code = 218 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 27-05068 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 0655325 |website = www.ci.bemidji.mn.us |footnotes = }} Bemidji ( ) is a city in Beltrami County (and county seat ), in North West Minnesota, United States. With a population of 13,431 at the 2010 census, it is the largest commercial center between Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Duluth, Minnesota. Bemidji houses many Native American services, including the Indian Health Service. The city is the central hub of the Red Lake Indian Reservation, White Earth Indian Reservation and the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. Bemidji lies on the southwest shore of Lake Bemidji, the northernmost lake feeding the Mississippi River and, as such, is deemed "the first city on the Mississippi." Bemidji is also called the "curling capital" of the U.S. Name Its name derives from the Ojibwe Buh-mid-ji-ga-maug (Double-Vowel orthography: bemijigamaag), meaning "lake that traverses another body of water". On occasion, in Ojibwe, the city of Bemidji is called Wabigamaang ("at the lake channel/narrows"), because part of the city is situated on the Lakes Bemidji/Irving narrows, located on the south end of Lake Bemidji, and extends to the eastern shore of Lake Irving. Some people also credit the name to Chief Bemidji, an Ojibwe chief. History Bemidji Township was surveyed in 1874, and organized in 1896, twenty-four days after the village of Bemidji was chartered, and is the oldest township in the county. In 1897, the county attorney declared the original Bemidji township organization illegal (no reason given), and the township reorganized June 26, 1897. Parks and recreation Bemidji is near Chippewa National Forest, Itasca State Park, Lake Bemidji State Park, Big Bog State Recreation Area, and state forest areas. Bemidji has 400 lakes within , of snowmobile trails and of cross country ski trails. Bemidji is home to many recreational events throughout the year. The Paul Bunyan Triathlon is the 3rd Saturday in August. The Dragon Boat Festival is a racing competition held at the waterfront during the first week of August. The Bemidji Polar Days is a week-long event held during the winter months. The Minnesota Finlandia Ski Marathon is also held in Bemidji. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. ]] Four-lane U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 71, and Minnesota State Highway 197 are three of the main routes in the city. Minnesota State Highways 89 and 371 are nearby. The largest earthquake on record for the Bemidji area was recorded on September 3, 1917. It is claimed that it shook houses down in Bemidji and across northern Minnesota. The epicenter was about away in Staples, Minnesota and affected an area of with a magnitude 4.4 with a maximum intensity of VI to VII. The closest and most recent quake occurred in Walker, Minnesota on September 27, 1982 with a magnitude of 2.0. Climate Bemidji has a hemiboreal climate, Dfb in the Koeppen climate classification - short, warm summers; long, severe winters. The average mean annual temperature in Bemidji is 37.3 degrees. The coldest month is January with an average daily high of 16 degrees and an average daily low of -4 degrees. The warmest month is July with an average daily high of 79 degrees and an average daily low of 57 degrees. The average annual humidity is 47%. The average annual snowfall is 41.1 inches and the average annual rainfall is 23.8 inches. The average day Lake Bemidji freezes over is November 26 and the average day the ice goes off the lake is April 26. |date=August 2010 }} Demographics 2013 Estimate }} 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 13,431 people, 5,339 households, and 2,557 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,748 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.3% White, 1.2% African American, 11.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population. There were 5,339 households of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.1% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the city was 27.1 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 26.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 17.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 11,917 people, 4,669 households, and 2,427 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,011.8 people per square mile (390.6/km²). There were 4,948 housing units at an average density of 420.1 per square mile (162.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.31% White American, 0.76% African American, 11.52% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population. There were 4,669 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.0% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 24.9% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,072, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $28,312 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,264. About 13.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over. Culture family. ]] Bemidji is a college city with strong arts influences. The city's streets are lined with small shops and adorned with sculptures and other forms of public art. The Concordia Language Villages are located near Bemidji and have been influential in the existence of several language conversational groups (including French, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, and German) that meet weekly in local coffee houses. In 2011, Red Lake Ojibwe Nation Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. complimented the city for its Ojibwe language signage in places of business. During the summer, the Paul Bunyan Playhouse operates a non-Equity, summer stock theater. The city is well known to fans of the sport of curling. Both men's and women's rinks from the Bemidji Curling Club won the right to represent the United States in the 2005 World Curling Championship and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Pete Fenson, the skip of the U.S. curling team that took the bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics, is a native of Bemidji, as is Natalie Nicholson, who was the lead for the United States women's team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. A city referendum for a Bemidji Regional Events Center passed by a slim majority of 43 votes out of 4,583 votes cast in November 2006. Opening in 2010, the center was renamed the Sanford Center and serves as home to the Bemidji State University hockey team. The men's and women's hockey teams are both members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Beginning in the spring of 2014, the Sanford Center will be home to the city's first-ever professional sports team, the Bemidji Axemen of the Indoor Football League. Education Bemidji is home to Northwest Technical College, Oak Hills Christian College, and Bemidji State University. Public Education is served by Bemidji Area Schools, TrekNorth Charter High School, Voyagers Charter High School and Schoolcraft Charter School. Bemidji is also home to three private schools: St. Philips Catholic School, St. Mark's Lutheran School and Heartland Christian Academy. Regional center The City of Bemidji acts as a regional center for shopping, arts, entertainment, education, health services, worship, and government services. The Bemidji Area includes parts or all of Beltrami (Pop. 44,442), Hubbard (Pop. 20,428), Cass (Pop. 28,567), Itasca (Pop. 45,058), Koochiching (Pop. 13,311), Lake Of The Woods (Pop. 4,045), Marshall (Pop. 9,439), Pennington (Pop. 13,930), Red Lake (Pop. 4,089), Clearwater (Pop. 8,695), and Mahnomen (Pop. 5,413) counties. The Bemidji area also includes the White Earth (Pop. 9,192) and Leech Lake (Pop. 10,660) Reservations and the Sovereign Nation of Red Lake (Pop. 5,162). This places the Bemidji Area population at 131,553.http://www.lexingtonco.com//images/files/67/Demographics.pdf Media Newspapers The Bemidji Pioneer is the local (except Mondays) daily newspaper. TV stations Most of Bemidji's TV stations primarily rebroadcast the television stations of the Twin Cities. Radio stations FM AM Magazine *''Northwoods Woman'', a bimonthly magazine published from 2008-2013, launched in Bemidji, Walker and Park Rapids and included articles about women who live and work in northern Minnesota. In popular culture * In Jonathan Franzen's book ''Freedom'', the father of the main character is cited as having moved to Bemidji.Franzen, Jonathan, Freedom, 2010. p.472 * In the fourth season episode "Little Minnesota" of the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) pretends to be from Bemidji when Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) takes her to the Walleye Saloon, a New York City bar for Minnesota Vikings fans, in an attempt to befriend the patrons. * The 2014 FX miniseries Fargo, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Martin Freeman, is set in and around Bemidji. However, the series is filmed in Calgary, Alberta. Notable people *Joe Motzko, Pro hockey player (Stanley Cup Anaheim Ducks) * Dave Casper, Hall of Fame football player was born in Bemidji * Jane Russell, actress * Pete Fenson, American curling skip Gallery Image:Bemidji Courthouse.jpg|Courthouse Image:LakeBemidji.jpg|Lake Bemidji References External links * City of Bemidji * Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce * [http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/ The Bemidji Pioneer], newspaper * Sanford Bemidji Medical Center * Best of Bemidji Quarterly Magazine * 360 Degree Virtual Tour of 2011 Beltrami County Fair Category:Bemidji, Minnesota Category:Cities in Minnesota Category:County seats in Minnesota Category:Cities in Beltrami County, Minnesota Category:Minnesota settlements on the Mississippi River Category:University towns in the United States